Godzilla
1984
aka The
Return of Godzilla
(Kraken Releasing/Section 23 Blu-ray)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: D Film: B+
It's
about time for Godzilla fans to get this great film in proper
viewing. Before only available in America on bootleg DVD and VHS
copies (!), Godzilla
1984
(also known as The
Return of Godzilla)
erupts in high definition atomic breath and all. It's funny watching
it now, how you can see many elements that both American remakes
lifted from this film. For one, the film features only Godzilla
himself just like the original classic and two, the film is really a
man vs monster-type tale with subtext on the after effects of nuclear
war. The film doesn't ignore the original film, but references it
several times throughout, even having Godzilla pick up a subway train
like he did in the original. I much prefer the 'man in a rubber
suit' Godzilla over the computer generated versions, as I think it
has more charm and we get some great moments here. If you're looking
to expand your Godzilla viewing, I would say that this is a good
starting point after the original if you aren't going in order of
release.
The
story here isn't anything too totally new to G-Fans or even casual
movie-goers who like the giant radioactive Dino-lizard and have seen
one of his films before. A boat in the middle of the ocean is
attacked as the King of Monsters awakens from his ancient slumber and
swims towards Tokyo. Once on shore, Godzilla knocks over buildings
and terrorizes the Japanese citizens while the military fights back.
Can they stop him before he destroys modern civilization?
Presented
in 1080p high definition with a widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1,
the film looks great on Blu-ray disc with rich and even colors
throughout. Colors range from white daytime exterior shots,
specifically those in the opening on the ocean to the many night time
exterior shots featuring the King of Monsters himself. Some grain is
apparent in darker corners of the frame but other than that the
transfer is pretty pristine.
There
are two lossless audio tracks in lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio)
5.1 mixes: one, an English dub and the other in Japanese with English
subtitles, whichever you prefer. I think dubs are pretty distracting
and prefer the original audio myself but as far as dubbing goes, it
isn't bad here. It's refreshing to see the film in high definition
as opposed to before when we could only see it on bootleg DVD ripped
off a laserdisc. You can actually see the film now as the filmmakers
intended.
The
only extra is a Theatrical Promo. I was hoping they would have the
short animated ''Godzilla vs Bambi''' feature that they
had on the original VHS versions of the film but alas, no. They
probably don't own it.
I'm
a huge G-Fan and am happy to have this film (finally) on high
definition. It's a shame we aren't giving more extras here, but the
presentation for the film itself is fine. While not the best
Godzilla film, it's nothing short of entertaining and charming. Now
I'm just waiting for a high definition release of Son
of Godzilla
on Blu-ray disc and my collection will be complete!
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
